Why do you still believe in Superstitions and the rituals they bring along?

[Friend]

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Hello Everybody!
First Post
I accidentally stumbled across this forum and I found the people and the ideas propagated here interesting,to put it mildly.So many educated people yet so willfully ignorant and deluded.
I have several questions but lets start with the question in the topic title shall we.
1.Why do you still believe in Superstitions and the rituals they bring along?
So your born in a family with a particular background.Is that reason enough ?

 

[nachi naga]

dear friend

what is your belief?follow that.leave us alone with our beliefs and faith.bluntly put,its none of your business.

 

[Iyest]

Hello Everybody!
First Post
I accidentally stumbled across this forum and I found the people and the ideas propagated here interesting,to put it mildly.So many educated people yet so willfully ignorant and deluded.
I have several questions but lets start with the question in the topic title shall we.
1.Why do you still believe in Superstitions and the rituals they bring along?
So your born in a family with a particular background.Is that reason enough ?

Yes indeed. We have so many superstitions and fully believe in all the rituals for them. A few are listed here based on what I have observed in my family and others.

1. Superstition: Money is the prime aim of life. Ritual: Any action every day that leads to more money.

2. Superstition: Education is only measured in degrees that lead to money, nothing else counts: Ritual: Do any act (legal or illegal) to get admitted in renumerative fields.

3. Superstition: Get married (or your children married) into families/ children settled abroad. Ritual: Tell all high flying families about you (your child) from the age of twenty (five) onwards. Tell everybody else that you (your child) will become a sanyasi so that they do not even bring up the subject and trouble you.

4. Superstition: Action and words must never be the same. Ritual: Talk about the greatness of our culture and shastras regularly even when indulging in all kinds of acts (including the superstitions above). When caught in the act, change this ritual immediately and chant that times have changed and everybody is doing it.

Oh there is one more.

Superstition: Everybody else is deluded but I am not.

I had to list the most common that I see every day since you did not state which superstitions you do not have that many others are suffering from.

 

[nachi naga]

iyest

could not help appreciating your lovely post.i am sure our dear friend will be enlightened with tejas ojas and will have many kujas now.

 

[Nara]

....I have several questions but lets start with the question in the topic title shall we.

Dear Friend, Your questions are legitimate, but I think you would agree that they are somewhat provocative. So, when you come into a forum with guns blazing, I will have to side with NN.

You need to establish your bonafides first. Show your commitment to civil and friendly exchange of ideas, and you will see that all your questions will be discussed in an intelligent way.

Cheers!

 

[silverfox]

Thank you!

Thank you, Prof! I couldn't have said it better! Thanks!

Iyest: Good one!

Dear Friend, Your questions are legitimate, but I think you would agree that they are somewhat provocative. So, when you come into a forum with guns blazing, I will have to side with NN.

You need to establish your bonafides first. Show your commitment to civil and friendly exchange of ideas, and you will see that all your questions will be discussed in an intelligent way.

Cheers!

 

[RVR]

All the Dravidian party leaders visit Annadurai's samadhi. Is it not a superstition?

If somebody wants to follow the policies of a departed leader, then let them follow. But why visit the place where the departed leader is buried and place garlands.

Hindu religion doesn't attach importance to the body and is burnt after death. Nobody visits the cremated place of the dead relative subsequently.

All the best

 

[SALEM]

To All: Superstition and Rituals are connected with the Word FEAR. s.r.k.

 

[Dr.T.N.Jambunathan]

To All: Superstition and Rituals are connected with the Word FEAR. s.r.k.

It is true even among rationalist or pseudo rationalist Why yellow துண்டு Jambu

 

[Friend]

dear friend

what is your belief?follow that.leave us alone with our beliefs and faith.bluntly put,its none of your business.

What a wonderful world it would be if each and every person would keep their beliefs and superstitions to themselves.But that is not the case in reality now is it.
You start judging people with respect to certain "things" in a different way if they weren't lucky/unlucky enough to undergo the accident called birth in a family background like yours.
What a wonderful world it would be to let your kids know what family they have been born in and tell them about its history,beliefs and rituals but one can't simply stop at that,you have to force it down their throat and guilt trip them if they were to stray away.Just Glorious,I tell you.

 

[Friend]

Yes indeed. We have so many superstitions and fully believe in all the rituals for them. A few are listed here based on what I have observed in my family and others.

1. Superstition: Money is the prime aim of life. Ritual: Any action every day that leads to more money.

2. Superstition: Education is only measured in degrees that lead to money, nothing else counts: Ritual: Do any act (legal or illegal) to get admitted in renumerative fields.

3. Superstition: Get married (or your children married) into families/ children settled abroad. Ritual: Tell all high flying families about you (your child) from the age of twenty (five) onwards. Tell everybody else that you (your child) will become a sanyasi so that they do not even bring up the subject and trouble you.

4. Superstition: Action and words must never be the same. Ritual: Talk about the greatness of our culture and shastras regularly even when indulging in all kinds of acts (including the superstitions above). When caught in the act, change this ritual immediately and chant that times have changed and everybody is doing it.

Oh there is one more.

Superstition: Everybody else is deluded but I am not.

I had to list the most common that I see every day since you did not state which superstitions you do not have that many others are suffering from.

A very good attempt at sarcasm but you fail to realize my friend that the superstitions you listed are something that come out of necessity,a need to survive first and secure our future second.
Would you continue to do all the above actions if you had a 100 million dollars with you.Certainly not.
Would you,a multi millionaire,continue to follow the superstitions which I target,namely the idea that being born into a particular family background has some sort of significance and you have to lead your life in a certain way otherwise you burn in hell/are subject to something equivalently painful.Certainly you would and with more conviction I might add now that you have all the time in the world.

 

[Friend]

Dear Friend, Your questions are legitimate, but I think you would agree that they are somewhat provocative. So, when you come into a forum with guns blazing, I will have to side with NN.

You need to establish your bonafides first. Show your commitment to civil and friendly exchange of ideas, and you will see that all your questions will be discussed in an intelligent way.

Cheers!

Dear Nara and all the other gentlemen in this forum,I come hear with a view to have an open discussion,trying to look at things from your point of view and find whatever good comes with and absorb it and I hope you could try and do the same with my views and perspectives.

 

[Friend]

All the Dravidian party leaders visit Annadurai's samadhi. Is it not a superstition?

If somebody wants to follow the policies of a departed leader, then let them follow. But why visit the place where the departed leader is buried and place garlands.

Hindu religion doesn't attach importance to the body and is burnt after death. Nobody visits the cremated place of the dead relative subsequently.

All the best

I totally agree that when a person dies,he is gone and that is it.What remains are memories of him,good or bad,and his ideas.
Maybe I didn't make myself clear I'm not against people following superstitions,what I do want is that people realize that they are superstitions and then draw a line and stop following those that are harmful to themselves and to others.

 

[aramakrishnan1]

Would you,a multi millionaire,continue to follow the superstitions which I target,namely the idea that being born into a particular family background has some sort of significance and you have to lead your life in a certain way otherwise you burn in hell/are subject to something equivalently painful.Certainly you would and with more conviction I might add now that you have all the time in the world.

The rituals are my neccesities in everyday life as ordained by the learned men of the community and I do it as a duty irrespective of whether I live in a hut or a Bungalow. I do not fear for hell or anything of that sort.
These rituals were put forth by very eminent saints (Rishis and Munis) and I don't have the knowledge to change it or drop the customs. India is a land where atleast four religions (Sanatana Dharma, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism) are established and there were innumerable thinkers, holy men like Siddhars, Rishis, Munis Gurus etc. No other country has such a knowledge on the functioning of the universe than India.
If someone asks me "Show me where is God?", I will not be able to show him the Supreme Being like a "Vishwaroopa Dharisanam", but does that mean there is no GOd and my beleif is based on superstitions.

 

[Raghy]

Hello Everybody!
First Post
I accidentally stumbled across this forum and I found the people and the ideas propagated here interesting,to put it mildly.So many educated people yet so willfully ignorant and deluded.
I have several questions but lets start with the question in the topic title shall we.
1.Why do you still believe in Superstitions and the rituals they bring along?
So your born in a family with a particular background.Is that reason enough ?

Sri.Friend,

Greetings and welcome! Most if not all of us follow rituals. In my opinion, rituals bring supersitions and not the other way round. Most of the times we justify our rituals with supersitions. I have seen this with inneumerable persons. There is also one more quality tags along with rituals and supersitions.....it is being judgemental. These three go hand in hand. Although you neglected to mention the quality 'judgemental', since it is relevant to this discussion, kindly allow me to raise that quality in question too.

Your first question and the second question are not related. To be born in a particular family with a particular background is not enough to form rituals, supersition and to be judgemental. Your second question is, in fact, irrelevant to this discussion, I am afraid.

For example, many of the forum members have a ritual of starting the day with a hot steaming coffee, browsing the latest news (mostly from 'The Hindu' news paper, which by the way has nothing to do with 'Hindu' Religion! If not 'The Hindu' paper, it can be some other Newspaper in print or on line..). My ritual is hot steaming black coffee, browsing online news paper. Why I am saying this? To address your second question... I grew up in a family (I don't know about my birth) in a village in Tamil Nadu; No Hindu Newspaper, nor coffee, certainly 'black coffee' never heard of! (No English, to be precise!).

So, I humbly request you to take away the second question from this discuission, please. By all means, that question may be discussed in a seperate thread, if you please. I have a thing or two to talk on that subject anyway.

That leaves rituals, supersitions and being judgemental. Kindly don't deny you are not judgemental, please. You were judgemental when you proposed our rituals and supersitions may have resulted from the family of our birth. I just showed that is not the case.

Well Sir, I think we should start our discussions now, please. Thank you.

Cheers!

 

[nachi naga]

It is true even among rationalist or pseudo rationalist Why yellow துண்டு Jambu

tnj

yellow color is number 3.3 rd day of gregorian calendar month of june is our cm's birthday.brihaspathi or guru or jupiter....rational in thinking to earn money for party famly friends and a lil bit citizens enjoy.the amt of work done to poor is never appreciated unfortunately by many in tn.sorry.frankly now i feel anna dorai was conspired and killed in late 60's,by vested interest in party.mgr was always wearing white in political role as cm.moon and sukran,helped him with subtle rays falling on his brain,i think.he was god loving man,though.

 

[Nara]

....I come hear with a view to have an open discussion,trying to look at things from your point of view and find whatever good comes with and absorb it and I hope you could try and do the same with my views and perspectives.

Dear Friend, your measured responses thus far gives me great confidence. You will get a lot of vigorous discussion and I am sure you can handle it. From what you have revealed so far, I think I will be on your side most of the time.

Welcome and good hunting....

 

[Siddhanta]

I totally agree that when a person dies,he is gone and that is it.What remains are memories of him,good or bad,and his ideas.
Maybe I didn't make myself clear I'm not against people following superstitions,what I do want is that people realize that they are superstitions and then draw a line and stop following those that are harmful to themselves and to others.

No when a person dies, he is not gone. Would you accept that you actually DONT KNOW what happens after a person dies? Could any EDUCATED man explain what happens after death? If you answer this question convincingly then everybody would stop beleiving in superstitions.

 

[nachi naga]

No when a person dies, he is not gone. Would you accept that you actually DONT KNOW what happens after a person dies? Could any EDUCATED man explain what happens after death? If you answer this question convincingly then everybody would stop beleiving in superstitions.

dear friend and siddhanta

why do memories linger if a person is gone physically from earth dimension.why do some people after physically dead,talk to us in seance.why do seance talking happens,if there is no spirit world at all.

after doing research,imho,spirit world exists.we are spirits having a physical body.in religious terminology we call athma or soul.athma has a deham,or soul has a body.souls have a recurring tendency to align with same family friends again again.that is why bhur bhuvar su vaha in sandhya chanting includes several layers of world dimension.

its a faith.naked eyes we cannot see air.but without it we cannot exist.god is the pradanam for all.what comes from god is god.ritualistic superstitions are happening to know better.without knowing,its not possible to live in ignorance all the time.ritual debunk superstition at some evolved stages.

 

[RVR]

I totally agree that when a person dies,he is gone and that is it.What remains are memories of him,good or bad,and his ideas.
Maybe I didn't make myself clear I'm not against people following superstitions,what I do want is that people realize that they are superstitions and then draw a line and stop following those that are harmful to themselves and to others.

Hindus mostly believe in rebirth. At the same time, they treat the body as a perishable commodity where as the inner Atman/Brahman is eternal.

Hence they burn the body after death but keep performing ceremonies to the departed soul. Nobody goes to cremation ground every year on the death anniversary of the deceased relative.

Most of the Hindu saints pray to God to cut the birth and death cycle only.

Saint Manickavasagar addresses Lord Shiva as follows:

பிறப்பு இறப்பை அறுக்கும் எங்கள் பெருமானே

My Lord who will cut the birth and death cycle.

Hence superstition should start first questioning the body's nature.

Those who offer garlands on statues of dead persons which are made of stone should not question the faith of others.

All the best

 

[Nara]

..... Nobody goes to cremation ground every year on the death anniversary of the deceased relative.

[..]

Those who offer garlands on statues of dead persons which are made of stone should not question the faith of others.

Dear RVR sir, I don't understand what your point is?

Hindus do not go to the cremation ground, but they pay their respects to the departed in other ways. They do it with the belief that the dead person actually comes and eats the srardham meal. Some may believe this literally, and others may go with it figuratively. Either way, there is nothing wrong.

People who don't believe in life after death may want to remember the departed loved ones by going to the place where the mortal remains are buried and may place a flower wreath or whatever. There is nothing wrong with this as well. Why would this act of remembering and paying respect by placing a garland on a statue made of stone is per se a superstitious act?

Cheers!

 

[Nara]

...No other country has such a knowledge on the functioning of the universe than India.

Dear sir, what good is this knowledge to ordinary Indians? The most exciting philosophical inquiries are now happening in the west while in India people are stuck with the speculative musings from several thousand years ago.

If someone asks me "Show me where is God?", I will not be able to show him the Supreme Being like a "Vishwaroopa Dharisanam", but does that mean there is no GOd and my beleif is based on superstitions.

Yes, if you believe in a personal god who cares about the lives of humans, but can't show this god in any form, no need to show viswaroopa form, then it is indeed based on superstitions.

Cheers!

 

[RVR]

Dear RVR sir, I don't understand what your point is?

Hindus do not go to the cremation ground, but they pay their respects to the departed in other ways. They do it with the belief that the dead person actually comes and eats the srardham meal. Some may believe this literally, and others may go with it figuratively. Either way, there is nothing wrong.

People who don't believe in life after death may want to remember the departed loved ones by going to the place where the mortal remains are buried and may place a flower wreath or whatever. There is nothing wrong with this as well. Why would this act of remembering and paying respect by placing a garland on a statue made of stone is per se a superstitious act?

Cheers!

Prof Nara Sir,

Hindus don't attach importance for the body. If a person dies, his body is burnt and ashes are dissolved in sea or rivers. Subsequently we don't keep the bronze or stone idol of the deceased at our homes. At best we keep some photos only.

Whatever ceremonies performed are purely a private affair without affecting general public.

But in Tamilnadu statues of deceased political leaders of Dravidian origin are erected at every nook and corner of the streets affecting traffic and causing inconvenience to the public.

Almost every year on birth or death anniversary of these leaders, their followers go in procession offering garlands to the statue causing great inconvenience to the general public. The annual rituals are nothing but a superstition of the Dravidian parties.

If the followers want, let them follow the teachings of their departed leader. If they want to pay homage to their departed leader, let them do it within the four walls without hindrance to the general public.

These Dravidian parties who claim that they are rationalists and doesn't believe in superstitions are more superstitious than most of us.

At least let them stop criticizing others on superstition.

All the best

 

[Nara]

....At least let them stop criticizing others on superstition.

RVR, you should really take it up with them, the DMK/ADMK hypocrites. Here, if I understand the intent of this thread, it is about why people still follow superstitions and the resulting rituals. In this context, building statues and having annual ceremonies commemorating the death or birth anniversaries of these leaders by garlanding them statues, are not superstitious acts per se. They may be traffic hazards, and may cause inconveniences to many, but that is a different issue altogether.

Cheers!

 

[Iyest]

A very good attempt at sarcasm .

Who said it was sarcasm?

.

but you fail to realize my friend that the superstitions you listed are something that come out of necessity .

Oh I see. If they come out of necessity, they are ok with you. It does not occur to you that others may find some to be necessary that you can live without. And your superstitions will seem unnecessary and ridiculous to them.

.

Would you continue to do all the above actions if you had a 100 million dollars with you.Certainly not. .

Oh! So once somebody has 100 million, the family will immediately encourage their children to be cooks, carpenters, mechanics etc and will be proud of them even if they don't have a college degree. Not to mention finding them a life partner from a poor village with the same educational background.

By the way, could 100 million be your superstition? No it couldn't since you seem to think you don't have any. And you could never be wrong!